Love at First Touch
by Temporarily in Hiding
Summary: Deidara is more or less the Akatsuki's personal maid, doing all of their laundry and cleaning. One day when he goes out to get the groceries someone gets in the way of his milk. This girl is Hinata and she's hiding from her father. DeiHina
1. Chapter 1

. . .

Dust and dirt settled in his long, blond hair.

"Hey, un! Watch where you're walking! I'm trying to clean, here!"

Itachi smirked down at the twenty year old man who was cleaning before kicking even more filth into the blonde's face with the use of his black suede shoes. Deidara frowned as Itachi walked away laughing, but he didn't say anything. He was used to this kind of behavior by now; all of the Akatsuki members had been treating him like a maid just because he looked like a girl. Not just that, but they were being even more rude than usual.

_It's like they're all PMS-ing at once, un. As if that were possible. But still . . ._

"Hey, Blondie!" Deidara looked up from scrubbing the floor at the sound of the obnoxious voice. "We got something for you!"

Hidan and Kakuzu were standing in the doorway holding a frilly pink and white maid's outfit. Deidara stared at it in disgust, causing Hidan to burst out laughing and throw the girly dress at him. "I'm damn serious. Put it on. Now."

Deidara stood up, sponge and dress in hand. "Hell no, un."

Hidan stopped laughing and took a few steps forward. He was now dangerously close to Deidara."You must be fucking kidding me, Blondie. No one says no to me unless they want to die." Hidan drew his scythe and placed it under Deidara's throat, so close that it grazed the skin, drawing a single drop of blood.

Deidara gulped, then quickly tore off his cloak and slipped into the ridiculous outfit. Hidan smiled at his success and pushed the blonde back down onto the dirt encrusted floor.

"M'kay then, continue your cleaning, Blondie."

Deidara didn't look up as Hidan left the room, he just resumed cleaning; Leader-sama expected the headquarters to be spotless by the time Konan got home. Apparently he was planning something, Deidara's guess was that he was going to try to sleep with her. _Can't do that on dirty sheets, can you, un? _he sneered.

Deidara let out a sigh as he stood up to go tend to the laundry. Much to Deidara's dismay, Sasori was in the laundry room getting the blood stains out of his puppets' clothes.

The redhead didn't even bother to look up as he said, "Could you get me a turkey and cheese sandwich, Deidara-chan?" (A/N: I know Sasori's a puppet, but in this story he can perform regular stuff like eating, drinking, ect. But he doesn't breath. Well, he can, but it's not neccesary, like with the vampires in Twilight)

Deidara sighed and backed out of the room, headed towards the kitchen. He pulled out a loaf of Chicago style bread along with slices of smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, and a bottle of mustard. _Sasori no Danna's favorite, un._

When he was done assembling the sandwich Deidara simply left the ingredients on the marble counter, positive that someone else would ask for a sandwich that day.

As Deidara returned to the laundry room he called out in front of him, "I know you like spicy mustard, Sasori no Danna, but all we had left was regular, un. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure, that's fine," he said in a bored tone, still looking down. "Just make sure to buy some la- "

Sasori had finally looked up and was now gaping at Deidara. His pale brown eyes were wide; staring at the pink clad blond in front of him.

He blinked, regaining his train of thought.

"Is that the latest fashion in Iwagakure, _Dei-chan_?" Sasori laughed as he took his sandwich from Deidara.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha. Very funny, un."

Sasori was still laughing as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

Deidara tried his best to ignore him as he worked on the organization's laundry. He poured a capful of rose-scented fabric softener into the machine. _Ha! That should get them pretty mad, un! What respectable full grown man would want to smell like __**flowers**__?_ Deidara paused, _On second thought, maybe Zetsu would, un._ Deidara shrugged off the thought and continued with his work.

He started putting things inside the washing machine, groaning when he picked up a black t-shirt and faded blue jeans that were covered in rips, tears, and lots of blood. "Damn Hidan, un."

Sasori looked up from his puppets at the disturbance. "Hmmm? What's wrong?"

Deidara sighed as he carefully unfolded the clothes and spread them out in front of him. "Nothing, un. Just typical, messy Hidan."

"Mmm . . ." Sasori muttered, barely even paying attention.

"In that case, it'd be best if you used this."

Deidara glanced around at the sound of the feminine voice.

Konan appeared out of the back entrance holding a red container that said _**Blood Removal**_ in huge, bold, noticeable letters.

Deidara let out a small _eep!_ "Konan! You're home early! Why, un?"

Konan set down the bottle and began to rummage through the dirty clothes. Deidara started to sweat. _Leader-sama's not gonna like this, un! I haven't finished cleaning yet!_ "Because I found out that Pein put my clothes down the laundry chute and I wasn't about to let _you_ wash my lingerie, Blondie. No offense."

Deidara was about to say something, but then realized that she had a pretty good point. He hurried putting in the clothes and poured in the blood removal, after that he quickly set the time and temperature and then rushed upstairs to clean Pein's bedroom before he realized that Konan was home early.

Konan stared at Sasori for a long time, making him sweat. "Eh, what?"

"Leave while I'm doing my laundry." Her tone was sharp and icy, like a frozen sword.

Sasori gave her an indignant glare. "You can't just kick me out! I'm- "

"Now."

"Okay, okay," Sasori replied, gathering his puppets and their cleaning supplies before leaving.

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Deidara had taken off the ridiculous dress and was standing outside of Pein's room, saluting him "Everything's all clean and ready, un."

Pein nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Deidara. Where's Konan?"

"Downstairs in the rec room playing foosball with herself, un."

A smile spread across the leader's face. "Excellent. Now, go get the groceries."

"But-" Deidara protested.

"Go!"

"Yes sir, un!" Deidara squeaked. He rushed out of the room, bumping into Kakuzu on the way down the stairs. "Kakuzu-san, I need money for groceries, un," he said distractedly.

Kakuzu looked rather unhappy as he handed the impatient blond a hundred dollar bill. Deidara gladly accepted it and took off running again.

"Be back by eleven to clean the bathrooms!" Kakuzu yelled after him.

It was eight o' clock now, so Deidara could have some free time for himself. "I will, un!" Deidara called back. To himself he said, "Damn S-rank ninjas, un. Who do they think they are, ordering me around like this, un? I should quit. They'd be a mess without me."

But Deidara knew that he couldn't quit. This was his only job, and terrorists weren't getting paid what they used to. If he quit he would have _nothing_; no food, no money, no shelter, and he didn't have any friends that would take him in, plus all of his family were either dead or he didn't talk to them anymore. With nowhere to escape to, Deidara had no choice but to put up with all of the Akatsuki's constant needs. _Just like a maid, un._

He let out a sigh as he scanned the store's aisles for milk, salt, pepper, cookie dough, nails, batteries, hammers, a grill, _The Scarlet Letter_ (for Hidan, surprisingly), walkie-talkies, fake snow, real snow, and several bottles of mustard. He grabbed a cart and began his shopping, piling things into the cart, not really caring if anything got smushed a little bit.

As soon as he left the store Deidara realized that he had forgotten the milk and quickly rushed back inside, realizing how mad everyone would be if they didn't get their all-natural, no pesticides added, 2 percent milk (yes, they were _that_ persnickety about their milk).

Deidara quickly made his way to the dairy section, immediately finding the green capped milk. When he went to reach for it, however, something was in the way.

It was soft to the touch and warm, too. Deidara stared at it in nothing short of shock. It was a hand, a very _feminine_ hand. And, for some reason, it sent sparks down Deidara's own arm to his chest (where your heart is, supposedly). Deidara's eyes cautiously followed the petite hand to its arm and then made eye contact with its owner, a girl of about seventeen. She was wearing khaki capri's along with lime green flip flops. Deidara noticed that she must have had a pedicure recently, due to her French tips on her toenails. She was also wearing a plum colored velvet hoodie that was zipped up all the way. Because she had her hood down, most of her face was covered in shadow, leaving her eyes as the only feature that Deidara could see. They were particularly unusual; a milky white color.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry. I d-didn't see you there," the girl stuttered.

Deidara shook his head slightly, regaining his senses. "That's fine, un. But what are you doing wearing so much clothes in the summer? You incognito or something, un?"

The girl's pale face flushed. "W-Well, sort of . . ."

Neither one of them had pulled away yet.

Deidara raised one eyebrow, surprised that his guess was correct. "Who are you hiding from, un?"

She glanced down at her feet, looking completly adorable as she did so. "M-My f-father."

"Ah. The old man, un." She nodded in agreement.

Deidara laughed at her shyness, enjoying the chat. He didn't really get to go out too much due to his constant duties. Also, he liked the feel of her hand under his.

"Uh, um, did you want this m-milk?" she asked politely, again looking up at Deidara.

Her sweet voice snapped the artisit out of his reverie. "Huh? Oh, no, that's ok, un. You can have it. I'll just grab another one."

The girl smiled up at him before reaching for the gallon of milk, she was shorter than Deidara and had to stand on her tip toes to reach it. Unfortunately, the bottle was very slippery and it slipped from her grip. It was about to explode on the dirty tile floor when Deidara caught it, mere inches from the ground.

The girl stared in amazement at how quick he had reacted. Deidara, ignorant to her amazement, chivalrously placed the milk in her cart for her.

The girl followed his deft movements in a sort of awe. "Wow. Y-You have r-really good hand-eye coordination."

"Uh, thanks, un," he said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Deidara then grabbed a gallon for himself and put it into his own shopping cart. "Well, I have to buy this milk, pronto, un," he stated.

"Um, b-bye." The girl walked her cart over to the line, Deidara close behind. He rang up his milk as soon as she was done ringing up hers. He noticed a blue wallet on the floor just as the cashier picked it up and looked at the ID inside.

"Miss! You left your wallet!" he called out after her.

She continued walking, ignorant that someone was calling her.

Deidara snickered slightly. "I don't think she heard you, un."

The oily-faced teen let out a sigh. "I'd better go give it to her, then." He started to walk out of the store but Deidara stopped him.

"Wait. You can't just leave your job, un. Let _me_ take it to her." Deidara held out his free hand for the wallet, a charming smile on his face. The cashier looked at him suspiciously before slowly handing it to the S-rank criminal.

"Don't steal anything," he warned.

"Whatever, un."

Deidara walked out of the store, grocery bags in one hand, the girl's wallet in the other. The truth was, Deidara's initial thought _was_ to take all of her money, but somehow he found himself walking towards her instead. He broke out into a run. "Hey, un! You left your wallet in the store!"

"Huh?"

She turned around at the voice, but Deidara was running so fast that he couldn't immediately stop and he collided into her a split second before they both fell to the asphalt. The girl's hood fell down, revealing her fair skin and her short, black hair (like before the time skip).

"I'm sorry, un. Are you okay?" he asked in concern, taking in her delicate facial features.

Deidara got to his feet and held out a hand to her. She paused before she cautiously took it and pulled herself to her feet, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm f-fine," she assured him, quickly reaching to pull her hood back up. However, Deidara grabbed her hand before she could.

"Don't. You have such a pretty face, un."

She blushed at the compliment and looke down. "Th-Th-Thank you, but I mustn't let my father see me here and- "

Deidara cut her off with an inquiry that should've been asked sooner. "What's your name, un?"

"H-Hinata."

"Hinata," Deidara said with a smile as he held out her wallet, "I believe this is yours."

"Th-Thank you," she said as she accepted her possesion, leaving her hood down. Deidara started picking up the fallen groceries. Luckily, both gallons of milk were unharmed. "Oh, no, you don't have to- I'll pick up my own- "

Deidara waved off her concern with a smile, standing erect. "Nah, that's okay. I believe these bags are yours, un."

A small smile appeared on Hinata's face as she took them from him. "Thank you."

Deidara surveyed the parking lot and, seeing that there was no car awaiting the girl, turned back to the brunette. "So, Hinata, shall I walk you home? Make sure that you don't leave anything else behind, un?" he asked tauntingly.

"Um," Hinata thought for a moment. "I-I guess it wouldn't hurt if you just walked me to my street, but not my house. F-Father wouldn't like that."

Deidara shrugged. "Okay, then. Walking with you would sure be better than going back to that hellhole where I live, un."

Hinata looked up at him in shock. "W-Why would you say that?"

"They treat my like a maid and-" he paused. "Wait a sec, I'm sure you don't want to hear about it."

Hinata started walking down the sidewalk to the south part of town, soon followed by Deidara. "Well, where do you live?"

"It's like an apartment complex, un. But all of my roommates are total-" He stopped, not wanting to curse in front of her.

"Then why don't you move?" she asked softly.

Deidara laughed quietly at the thought of moving away from there. What a miracle that would be."Because that's where my job is, un."

"Then why not quit?" she pryed.

"I have nowhere else to go- I'm pretty sure that you don't want to hear this."

"But I want to know," Hinata insisted as she leaned closer to him. "I-I don't think that you should suffer. You deserve b-better."

Hinata surreptitiously linked arms with him. A look of surprise came across the blonde's face, but then he relaxed into her warmth.

While he was with her, Deidara forgot about all of the other Akatsuki members and what total dicks they were. He forgot that he only got paid 200 dollars a week. He just let himself get lost in Hinata's smooth, quiet, calming voice.

_There's those sparks again, un._

Too bad he never told her his name . . .


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**Sorry it took so long for me to update, I know a lot of people were waiting for this second chapter, well, actually only 6 people. Anyways, here's chapter 2! This is my first story post as a thirteen year old! Woot!**

* * *

It had been a week since that fateful day at the super market, and Deidara was _still _thinking about her as he went about his daily chores. He hadn't told anyone about Hinata, no one needed to know. The blonde let out an exasperated sigh as he poured morning coffee for the Akatsuki.

"Why such a big sigh?"

Deidara turned around to come face to face with Konan, her face as expressionless as usual.

"You're up early, un."

Konan shrugged as she took a mug of coffee and sat down. "So? You didn't answer. Why?"

The artist frowned at the bluenette. "I don't have to tell you, un."

Konan had been softly blowing on her coffee due to the fact that it was too hot. "Okay." With that she got up and left the kitchen just as silently as she had come.

Deidara was still frowning, but more of a confused frown than a mad one.

"Oi! Deidara! I have a job for you!"

Pein walked into the kitchen, looking at a letter written on fancy stationary that he was holding.

"_Yes_, Leader-sama?"

"I need you to make an order for seven suits at the tailor's." The Akatsuki leader handed Deidara a small white card. "That's the design for the suits and the other members' size measurements."

Deidara stared blankly at the little card for a moment.

"Um, okay, but, _why_, un?"

Pein shoved the fancy stationary in the blonde's face. "Because, we have been invited to a party at the Hyuga mansion and we need new suits for such an occasion."

"Seven . . . Who isn't going, un?" Even as the question left his mouth, Deidara had a sinking feeling that he knew what the answer was.

Pein wore a smug look on his face as he delivered the news. "Who's not going? Why, _you're_ not going, Deidara."

The blonde took a sudden interest in his shoes. _I knew it, un_.

"Why, un?"

"Because, you have chores to do around here, I can't have a filthy base!"

Deidara grunted and continued brewing the coffee. "Alright, I'll make the order after breakfast, un."

A fake smile spread across Pein's face, deceivingly kind looking. "Good." With that the organization leader walked out of the kitchen, leaving Deidara alone once again.

One by one the other Akatsuki members came to get their daily morning cup of coffee, ignoring the person who had made it for them.

_Look at them, un. They don't even say 'thank you,' they just _expect_ the coffee to be here every morning. Those ungrateful bastards, un._

"Deidara?"

The artist in question looked up from his thoughts, surprised at the mention of his name. The only one left in the kitchen now was Sasori of the Red Sand.

"Uh, yes, Sasori-danna, un?"

"You put sugar in my coffee."

Deidara stared at the redhead for a moment in confusion.

"But . . . I thought you _liked_ sugar in your coffee, Danna," he finally said, confusion clear in his voice, as if he had asked a question.

"Well, I _do_, but I didn't think that _you_ knew that. You made the rest of the members regular coffee."

There was a moment of silence. And then the blonde burst out laughing.

Sasori frowned and furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Deidara-"

Deidara, however, was too busy leaning against the kitchen counter and laughing very loudly.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Danna. It's j-just that-" he was giggling hysterically throughout his sentences, "i-it's because you're my _Danna_! My _master_, un! Of course I'm going to know what you like in your coffee, un!"

"Oh, right." _Damn that brat! Every time he brings up the fact that I'm his _master_ I feel guilty._ _Stupid human emotions._ "So . . . What inane errand does Pein have you doing today?"

For the second time that morning, Sasori surprised Deidara. "Uh, after I clean up here I'm going to the tailor's to order some suits, un."

"Okay." Sasori sat in silence as Deidara collected the scattered coffee mugs and washed them. As soon as the blonde had dried the cups off and set them up in their usual positions for the next morning Sasori stood up and brushed dust off of his pants. "Let's go."

". . . Danna?"

"I'm going with you, so come _on_, brat!"

"O-Okay, un." Uncertainty changed into a smile across Deidara's face as he and his partner headed toward the tailor shop. _Not everyone in Akatsuki is completely horrible, un._

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Deidara handed the man the small white card. "Leader-sama wants that design in those measurements by Wednesday, un."

The small, beady-eyed man squinted first at the card, then at the two S-rank criminals standing in front of him. "The price is-"

Sasori, getting impatient, cut the man off. "Don't tell us; just put it on the Akatsuki's tab."

He glared up at Sasori before answering in a shrill voice, "Okay, just let me place the order with the manager." The little man quickly scurried away into the back, causing Sasori to roll his eyes.

"Idiot."

Deidara eyes traveled around the plain store in boredom. There wasn't much to look at, only four blank walls, so the blonde's sapphire eyes wandered outside of the shop's doors and spotted a pretty girl walking up to the store. _She looks familiar, un . . ._ The girl looked up, giving Deidara a clear view of her face. A smile slowly spread across his face as he recognized the girl. _Hinata!_

"What are you grinning about, brat?"

Deidara's eyes widened as he remembered that Sasori was still standing next to him. _Sasori no Danna can't meet Hinata, un! He'll be mean to her, _he gasped, _or worse! He might _like_ her, un!_

Said puppet waved his hand in front of Deidara's face in a cliched fashion. "Hello? Anybody in there?"

Deidara tentatively turned towards Sasori. "Uh, Danna, I, uh, left my clay in the parking lot, un. Go get it for me!"

"_What_?"

Deidara pushed Sasori out of the store through a side door just as Hinata walked in.

"Um, h-hello?" she called out in a small, apprehensive voice.

Deidara quickly turned around, locking the door behind him. "The tailor's in the back, un."

Hinata's eyes widened as she recognized Deidara, causing him to grin like mad again. "Wh-What are you d-doing here?"

Deidara placed one hand on the counter and leaned against it in a nonchalant manner. "Placing an order for some suits, un. You?"

"Uh, um, ordering a dr-dress."

Deidara quirked an eyebrow in interest. She certainly didn't seem like the type to buy pretty dresses for herself. "For you, un?"

The inquiry caused her to look down and blush. "Y-Yes. My F-Father is hosting a p-party and he wants me to look n-nice-" She was cut off by muffled yells coming from behind the door, causing Hinata to look up at Deidara questioningly.

"Oh, just some alley cats, un," he said nervously. "What were you saying, un?"

Hinata gave the door another questioning look before continuing. "O-Oh. I was s-saying how my Father is hosting a p-party so he wanted me to buy a d-dress. You're c-coming too, right?"

This question caught Deidara off guard. "What do you mean, un?"

Hinata looked down at her feet, face flushed more than usual. "W-Well, when you w-walked me home a week ago I wasn't s-sure if I would ever s-see you again. And then I found out that F-Father was planning a party so I a-asked him to invite the Akatsuki, b-because you said you were a member of the Akatsuki."

This piece of information surprised Deidara even more. "Your last name's Hyuga?"

"Y-Yes."

_Shit, un! How do I tell her that I'm not going?_ "Well, um, actually, I'm not-"

"What the hell was that for Deidara? There is a dumpster back there! I fell in fucking _garbage_!" Sasori had made his way to the front of the store and had barged in. True to his word, his shoulders (and the rest of his ensemble) were coated in garbage. Hinata stared at the puppet for a moment, a disgusted look on her face, and then looked back at Deidara.

"D-Do you know this person?"

Sasori, who was already very upset, became even angrier. "Know him? _Know him_? I'm Akasuna no Sasori, Deidara's partner for Akatsuki! And what does he do after I take time out of my day to come to this stupid place with him? _He pushes me out a door into fucking garbage_! And _who_ the _hell_, may I ask, are _you_?"

Deidara grabbed Sasori's arm in an attempt to stop him from saying any more offensive things in front of Hinata. "Danna, calm down, un. This," he gestured toward Hinata, "is Hyuga Hinata."

Sasori looked from Hinata to Deidara, who was blushing slightly. "Deidara . . . have you met this girl before?"

Blood rushed to Hinata's face, she was embarrassed by the fact that Deidara had obviously not told anyone about her. _Well, I didn't tell anyone about him, either._

The blonde refused to make eye contact with his partner. "Only once, un."

Sasori stared at the two for a minute. Finally, he seemed to realize something and smiled (not a very reassuring thing for Deidara).

The squat man reappered from the back room. "The order is placed, sir. Next costumer?"

Hinata shyly walked over to the counter after muttering a feeble, "Excuse me."

When she was safely out of hearing distance, Sasori began his taunting. "So, Deidara, how come you haven't told me, your _Danna_, about this Hinata girl?" Deidara remained silent, which just made Sasori laugh. "When did you meet her, I wonder?"

"At the grocery store last week, un," he mumbled, barely loud enough for Sasori to hear.

"Hmmm . . . You _were_ awfully quiet when you came home that day," Sasori mused as his smile became even wider. "I think," the redhead stood up on his toes to whisper the next few words in Deidara's ear, "that you _like_ this Hinata girl, Deidara." Deidara's face turned bright red at his assumption, giving Sasori a self-satisfied smirk.

"We are leaving NOW, un!" Deidara shouted as he grabbed Sasori's arm and started dragging him out of the store.

"Oh, but what about _Hinata_?" Sasori teased, "Won't she wonder where you went?" This made Deidara stop in mid-stomp, allowing Hinata to catch up with them.

"W-Wait!" she gasped when she caught up with them, out of breath. "I'm s-sorry; I didn't mean to take so l-long!"

Deidara turned around, embarrassed that he had left her behind. "You don't need to apologize, un. It's not your fault."

By the look on Sasori's face you could tell he was highly amused by Deidara's apology. "I'll just go up ahead and leave you two to talk, I feel bad for interrupting like I did earlier."

"Danna-" Deidara protested, but the puppet was nowhere to be seen.

He looked down at Hinata, slightly flushed. "C'mon, the base is this way."

The brunette nodded and the two started walking down the deserted street in silence. After a couple of blocks Hinata looked up at the artist. "Deidara?"

He looked down at her, "Hmm?"

"Th-That's your name, isn't it?" she stuttered. "That's w-what S-Sasori-san called you: Deidara."

Deidara raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, but didn't I tell you that?"

Hinata shook her head, ruffling her short dark hair. "N-No. You never mentioned your n-name."

"Oh! I didn't realize, un! I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed at the added suffix before reponding timidly, "I l-like your name, Deidara-k-kun." Now it was Deidara's turn to blush because of a suffix.

"Thank you, un."

Hinata smiled at him. "So, th-that was your p-partner?"

Deidara averted his eyes to gaze at the path in front of them. "Yes."

"H-How come you c-called him Danna?"

Deidara laughed, amused at how little she really knew about him. "Because he's my superior in art, I respect Danna very much, un."

"He didn't seem as b-bad as you said . . ."

"Danna is different; he's nicer than the other's, un." Deidara smiled as he recalled how unusually nice his Danna had been that morning compared to the others.

Hinata smiled again, her face a little pink. "I'm gl-glad that _someone_ is nice to you."

The pyrotechnic gave a small smile, too, as he slid his hand into hers. Hinata recoiled a little at the touch, but didn't pull away.

"So, are you g-going to my Father's p-party?" The sudden question made Deidara's entire face fall. "Well, I'm really sorry, but I'm not, un." The answer given was obviously not what Hinata had expected, as her expression quickly changed from hopeful, to shocked, to sad, and she let go of Deidara's hand.

"O-Oh, I understand."

Deidara looked down at her in alarm. "No, no, you have the wrong idea, un! I would really _like_ to go, but I can't!"

Hinata stared at the ground, refusing to look up at him. "N-No, that's okay; you don't need to m-make an excuse for me."

Deidara stopped walking and turned to face the kunoichi, the Akatsuki base looming behind them. "Hinata-chan, listen, I would like to go, I really would, un. It's just that Leader-sama is making me stay home that night to clean. I would go if I could, un. You have to believe me." Deidara gently placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head up, gazing into her eyes, blue into white, trying to make her realize that he was truly sorry. "I'm really sorry."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Hinata's mouth. "N-No one has ever gone so much trouble to apologize to _me_ before." Deidara smiled too; glad that she didn't think he was going to ditch her on a whim.

Hinata stood on her tip toes and kissed Deidara on the cheek, her lips incredibly soft as they brushed against his skin. "Thank you, Deidara-kun. For caring." Hinata disappeared in a cloud of smoke without saying another word, hurrying to arrive home before her father noticed her prolonged absence. Deidara simply stood in front of his home frozen in shock.

"So she kissed you, huh?" Sasori asked as he stepped out of the bushes holding a camera, a smirk on his face. "I got it on camera. I just can't _wait_ to tell the others about this!"

Deidara abruptly came back into reality. "Tell the others about _what_, exactly?" he snapped.

Sasori let out a harsh laugh at his partner's ignorance. "About the fact that our beloved Deidara-chan has himself a _girlfriend_."

Deidara frowned, wrinkles forming on his forehead. "You can't be serious, Danna."

The smile died on Sasori's face, also turning into a frown. "Why wouldn't I be serious?"

The blonde's frown deepened. "Because if Leader-sama found out, he'd probably do more than he already did to make sure that I can't see her, un."

"Why should I care-" The rest of Sasori's question died on his lips as another one formed. "Wait, what do you mean by 'he'd probably do more than he already did?' What did he do?"

Deidara started walking towards the front door of the building. "Well, that party that we ordered the suits for is being hosted by Hinata's father and Leader-sama already said that I had to stay home and clean instead of going, un," Deidara said as he walked into the building, leaving Sasori standing alone on the doorstep.

"Oh."

Sasori's partner shut the door right in his face.

"Hey, wait!" he called out, but Deidara had already made it into his room. _Damn blonde! He ruined my good mood again!_


End file.
